Mediterranean Gyro: A little bit of Queens Nostalgia in Vestal

When I saw that a Gyro joint was opening in Vestal I was pretty excited. Growing up I lived in a Greek/Italian neighborhood, I remember taking a trip to a place called Gyro Corner which was located on the intersection of Northern Blvd and Francis Luis Blvd in Queens. It was a heavenly place where the Mexican and Ecuadorians shuffled you through the busy restaurant as the Greek owner kept a hawk-like presence over his nest. Needless to say, they had the most amazing gyro’s that I have ever had.
Mediterranean Gyro in University plaza does not have the same charm as my childhood hangout but it does have many similarities. There are hard working hombres from Spanish decent working behind the line, slinging hunks of meat onto the grill and slicing beautifully processed compressed pieces of rotating lamb meat that is liberally laced with a variety of spices. It’s a beautiful thing. There is also that sharp eyed owner from my youth at Mediterranean Gyro, he was sitting ominously at a corner table reprimanding the servers who looked quite lost in their own restaurant. Overall the place really had a Queens-ish feel to it. It’s just a little roomier and cleaner.
We ordered a sampler plate for 2. I think it cost about $18 for that dish alone. The waitress warned us that it was going to be large, she said that no one had ever finished it. The place had only been open for a few weeks so I figured the ‘large’ eaters of America had not had the chance to overtake this platter. When it was placed in front of us there was a gasp as the dust settled. It was enough to feed a Wal-Mart going family of 4 or a normal family of 6. I couldn’t believe it. There was lamb gyro meat, chicken gyro meat, lamb kabobs, chicken kabobs, sausage, pork shoulder (I think), french fries, grilled potatoes, zadziki and pita bread. It was massive. Oh, I forgot to mention that it also comes with 2 salads and 2 cups of lemon and rice soup!!! The salads where a typical mixture of iceberg lettuce and some other generic salad items that definitely did not come from a farmers market. The soup was pretty delicious. It had creamy silky texture with hints of lemon and chicken broth. The platter itself was pretty good, but the lamb gyro meat was definitely the best. Everything chicken on the platter was a bit overcooked and dry but eatable. The zadziki was decent, although I think they should have strained the yogurt a bit more (through a cheese cloth or t-shirt) to give it a thicker/richer consistency. Overall the meal was well worth the price. The service was friendly and pleasant even though most of the waiters/waitresses seemed to have been plucked from Applebee’s type establishments.
They also have regular gyro sandwiches for $5. Next time, I think I will try one of those. Overall, the experience was pleasurable. I especially liked to see some amigos in the kitchens of upstate New York. For me, that was one of the most refreshing parts of the place.
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

(please note that these photos were taken after about 10 minutes of eating, so there was actually a bit more food on the plate when it arrived)






4700 Vestal Parkway East, Vestal, NY(607) 729-2001